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Ross Elliott (1917-1999)
Ross Elliott

Groat's Grudge, January 2, 1960 Written by John Meston, Story by Marian Clark, Directed by Andrew McLaglen, Guest Cast: Ross Elliott, Thomas Coley, Ben Wright

The Lady Killer, April 23, 1960 Written by John Meston, Directed by Andrew McLaglen Guest Cast: Jan Harrison, Harry Lauter, Ross Elliott, George Selk, Clem Fuller, Charles Starrett

He was cast most often in the role of authoritarian or professional types. Tall, sturdily built with a nondescript but handsome face, he was a solid actor in all media. He was born on June 18, 1917 in New York City and grew up in the famed Bronx area of New York. He caught the 'acting bug' while attending summer camp and later attended City College of New York. Growing up in such a theatre oriented city as New York was a strong advantage for any aspiring actor and after appearances in summer stock he landed in Orson Welle's Mercury Theatre group. He starred in stage productions and was a part of the infamous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. After serving in the Army during World War II and appearing in Berlin's "This Is the Army" around the world as well as the film version, he moved to Hollywood to appear in films and television. His film credits include: "This Is the Army" (1943) as a Soldier, his film debut; "The Burning Cross" (1947) as a Striker; "Woman on the Run" (1950) as Frank Johnson; "Desert of Lost Men" (1951) as Dr. Jim Haynes; "Tumbleweed" (1953) as Seth Blandon; "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" (1953) as George Ritchie, a truly memorable film; "Ma and Pa Kettle at Home" (1954) as Pete Crosby; "Dragnet" (1954) as Intelligence Officer; "Tarantula" (1955) as Joe Burch; "Indestructible Man" (1956) as Paul Lowe; "D-Day the Sixth of June" (1956) as Major Mills; "Tammy Tell Me True" (1961) as Prof. Bateman; "Kelly's Heroes" (1970) as Booker; "Skyjacked" (1972) as Harold Shaw; "The Towering Inferno" (1974) as Deputy Chief #2; "Gable and Lombard" (1976) as Lombard's Director, his final theatrical film. On TV he was quite active with regular roles on: "The Virginian" (1967-70) as Sheriff Mark Abbott and the soap opera "General Hospital" (1963-65) as Lee Baldwin. He also appeared in numerous TV movies including: "Crowhaven Farm" (1970); "Columbo: Forgotten Lady" (1975) and "Aliens From Another Planet" (1982). He also guested on many TV series including: "I Love Lucy" in the famed Vitameatavegamin Commercial episode, as the Director; "Broken Arrow"; "The Adventures of Jim Bowie"; "Laramie"; "Rawhide"; "Richard Diamond, Private Detective"; "Gunsmoke"; "Maverick"; "The Andy Griffith Show"; "The Twilight Zone" and the 1985 version of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" his last film appearance. He died on August 12, 1999 of cancer in Woodland Hills, California at age 82.

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